and their efforts in congress. here is what he had to say. [video clip] >> i am confident that we will see an agreement in the next 48 hours. if that does not happen, democrats in the senate will put a bill on the floor of the senate and republicans will have to decide whether or not they will block it, meaning that middle-class taxes go up. i do not think that they would want to do that, politically, but they may wind up doing that. if all else fails so that taxes go up on middle-class families on january 1, we will come back with a new congress on the fourth and the first bill on the floor will be to cut taxes on middle-class families. i do not think that the average person is one to say -- gosh, that is a really partisan agenda on the part of the president or democrats in congress. people will say -- that makes sense, that is what the economy needs right now. if one way or another we get through this -- do i wish that things were more orderly in washington, rational? that people listened to the best arguments, compromised, operating in an